Old classics, new flair: Longstanding NSB café reopens under new ownership

A longstanding New Smyrna Beach café is bringing a fresh Italian flair to Flagler Avenue, following its recent reopening under new ownership.

Caffé Paradiso, formerly Café Heavenly, opened its doors at the start of March after teasing the eatery’s upcoming changes on social media earlier this year. For new owners Gary Langevin, alongside his wife Heather Perez and business partner Luigi Castiglia, taking over the local eatery meant an opportunity to salvage its existing charm, while adding their own Italian flair to the roadside spot.

Langevin, an accomplished restaurateur with more than 40 years’ experience who's certainly no stranger to the local community, also co-owns New Smyrna Beach’s Limoncello South and Ciao Bella Italian Restaurant, Pizzeria and Martini Bar. He was approached with the opportunity to invest in his now third restaurant venture, and called the decision a “no-brainer."

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“I just love New Smyrna Beach,” he said. “And a lot of our customers that know us from Ciao Bella and Limoncello South, they’ve been super happy about everything — they know our food, our quality and our service.”

After purchasing the café in January, the restaurateur and his team took roughly six weeks to renovate and rebrand the local shop, insisting on a casual-yet-quality approach with “a whole different vibe.”

In alignment with his other restaurants, Langevin decided to start out simple — an authentic, far less limiting approach that would allow the café to organically evolve overtime — keeping its stellar service at the forefront.

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“The place is going to continue to build its own personality,” Langevin said. “We didn’t have an interior decorator come in (at the other restaurants) — we just went by what our feeling was … I just don’t believe in coming in and doing something generic.”

The restaurateur’s loyal staff — more a like a family, he says — has been along for the ride since the very beginning and will continue to provide the unparalleled service customers have long been accustomed to at his other restaurants, with the help of some familiar faces — like Robyn Gatewood, a near decade-long employee at the café who's sticking around, Langevin tells me.

Same beloved classics, new Italian flair

Customers returning for a familiar bite will be happy to see a variety of prevailing favorites at Caffé Paradiso, including the lobster rolls, lobster bisque and New England clam chowder, as well as the ever-popular wood-fired pizza — a now revamped, Neapolitan-style selection with homemade dough and sauce — as well as an extensive new variety of smoothie flavors.

The restaurant will also offer a new range of bagels — like the smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers-layered bagel, or toasted butter and cream cheese bagel; breakfast sandwiches — like the bacon, egg and cheese or sausage, egg and cheese; as well as egg bites, hot pressed paninis, and roughly 20 homemade gelato flavors.

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The inviting new shop also features a profusion of Italian-imported grab-and-go desserts — including the apricot croissants, cannolis, tiramisu and bomboloni cream-filled doughnuts; as well as a “top of the line” espresso machine and Naples-imported coffee, with beverage selections ranging from the café latte and Americano to the cappuccino, drip coffee and caffe mocha. Beer and wine are also available.

“We want to be here for a long time, and we want to continue what they started,” Langevin said. “We’re trying to keep the old classics, all the stuff that people loved, and then adding a new flair to it and making things better.”

More to come at Caffe Paradiso

Langevin, an intrinsically enthusiastic individual who practically bleeds the business, tells me he plans to continue elevating the new café, illuminating at its seemingly limitless potential.

Currently, Caffé Paradiso has reopened its drive-thru — a popular, yet previously halted feature — already boasting a small line of morning regulars during my recent visit. Langevin hopes to soon open shop by 5:30 a.m. to convenience early morning commuters in need of quick pick-me-up.

In the coming weeks, customers can also expect a new wraparound patio — a wooden, light-strung space where visitors starting their morning or wrapping up their evening can sip, chat and relax outdoors.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 9 years old — about 40 years — and I think I’ve just been a restaurateur all my life. That’s all I’ve ever done,” Langevin said. “I haven’t worked a day in my life, (because) this is what I love to do.”

Caffé Paradiso is located 115 Flagler Ave. in New Smyrna Beach and is currently open 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily. For information, call 386-427-7475 or visit caffeparadisonsb.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Caffe Paradiso opens in NSB offering pizza, lobster rolls, more